Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Montgomery County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Montgomery County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,689 of 2,405 scored counties
#86 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 383
- 177 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 177
- −2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $140M
- On food away from home · $3,787 a household
- Spending per listing
- $365K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.6
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 98,434
- −1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Montgomery County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Montgomery County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Household spending on food away from home in Montgomery County comes to about $140M a year: $3,787 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $365K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Montgomery County has 383 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 177 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 103.6 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 177 businesses with payroll in Montgomery County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 209 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Montgomery County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Montgomery County declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Montgomery County has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #1,689 of 2,405 scored counties and #86 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Montgomery County compares
The same measures for Virginia and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Montgomery County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 103.6 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $365K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 209 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.2% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,787 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,715 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 181 → 177−2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,232
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $83.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 383177 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 377The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Montgomery County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Montgomery County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 98,434−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 36,961
- Median age
- 35.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 387 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 256
- Median household income
- $72,715+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,780
- Median home value
- $304,600
- Jobs located here
- 42,019
- Daytime population
- 106,770Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Montgomery County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Montgomery County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Montgomery County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Goochland County, VA | 96 | 56 | 54.1 | $930K | +17.4% | #3 of 2,405 |
| 2Fluvanna County, VA | 94 | 36 | 34.9 | $1.2M | +6.2% | #4 of 2,405 |
| 3Caroline County, VA | 93 | 63 | 52.6 | $773K | +11.3% | #9 of 2,405 |
| 4Powhatan County, VA | 92 | 59 | 52.1 | $895K | +7.0% | #11 of 2,405 |
| 5New Kent County, VA | 92 | 57 | 61.5 | $783K | +21.2% | #12 of 2,405 |
| 6Louisa County, VA | 92 | 85 | 54.6 | $745K | +13.6% | #14 of 2,405 |
| 7King George County, VA | 91 | 66 | 65.1 | $731K | +10.5% | #18 of 2,405 |
| 8Frederick County, VA | 90 | 245 | 69.2 | $636K | +8.8% | #28 of 2,405 |
| 9Stafford County, VA | 89 | 369 | 70.5 | $758K | +8.3% | #29 of 2,405 |
| 10Dinwiddie County, VA | 87 | 39 | 36.6 | $1M | +3.6% | #38 of 2,405 |
| 86Montgomery County, VA | 38 | 383 | 103.6 | $365K | −1.2% | #1,689 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Montgomery County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Montgomery County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 383 restaurants and cafes in Montgomery County. 177 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 177 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Montgomery County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $140M a year, or $3,787 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 383 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $365K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 36,961 households in Montgomery County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Montgomery County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Montgomery County has 103.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $365K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Montgomery County would have about 377, against 383 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 209 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Montgomery County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Montgomery County at 98,434 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 36,961 households. Median household income in Montgomery County is $72,715, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Montgomery County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,689 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Montgomery County. It maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Montgomery County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Montgomery County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Montgomery County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.